The Little Merman
by Charlett
Summary: M3 AU: Lucas is a young merman who has just turned fifteen, and he is now allowed to swim to the surface and look upon the faces of the humans he loves so much. Perhaps one day, he will be a part of Princess Kumatora's world.
1. Chapter 1

So I was reading a whole bunch of Hans Christian Anderson and playing some Mother 3 and I realized "holy crap I know just what to combine!"

So here is a story about the little merman who wanted to gain a soul.

DISCLAIMER1: I own nothing, but Hans Christian Andersen's Little Mermaid is pretty much Public Domain.

DISCLAIMER2: This is Hans Christian Andersen's Little Mermaid, not your kawaii desu Disney Little Mermaid. There will be Religion. It will be Christian. There will be creepy scenes. They will involve mutilation and pain. This is not your politically correct little children's fairy tale, nosiree.

You have been warned, but come flame me anyway, I love hearing you guys rage about "ONOZ a religious thing wahhhh!"

So READ ON!

* * *

><p>Once Upon A Time, like all stories begin, there was a young child who was very much different than an ordinary child. This little boy lived under the sea. Mermaids and mermen were rare creatures that loved to frolic under the waters, and they lived very long lives. Most mermen lived up to two or three hundred years old! This merman was only a little boy, however; little Lucas was not even old enough to swim to the top of the waters, where human fishermen dwelt who would catch little mermen and gut them like fish. His father, Flint, would constantly warn against going to the surface of the ocean; Lucas would die if he was too young to handle meeting a human.<p>

"Humans are nasty, ugly, mean creatures," Flint and Claus, Lucas' twin brother, would tell Lucas, "They only care about devouring the creatures of the sea. Stay away from them!"

Lucas wondered if his family was telling the truth. He didn't want to believe it, because his mother, Hinawa, told him something different about humans. "Humans are creatures of passion and emotion. Humans are such special creatures."

"Why is that, Mother?" Lucas would ask.

"Humans are immortal, my son."

Lucas stifled a giggle with his two little hands. "Mother, that can't be true. Humans only live past a few years. They're lucky if they become a hundred years old. They can't be immortal."

"But they are. You see, while we mermaids live much longer than humans, when we die, we turn into a wisp of sea foam, but humans live forever in a different world, where the Creator of the world lives."

Lucas stared with wide eyes. "Humans get to do something so amazing? But why?"

"The Creator chose them to be special creatures that could meet with Him after they pass on. Just like we rise to the surface and look at the land, so they rise past the clouds to live with Him. That's why they can fall in love with each other and hold emotions that we simply cannot comprehend."

Lucas was amazed. He thought his mother cared for him and they possessed the same feelings that humans had, but Hinawa told him that things were different. Whatever they felt, humans felt it millions of times stronger. While humans felt sadness and grief much more heavily than mermaids, they also possessed love and kindness in such magnitudes that mere mermaids could simply not comprehend. The young boy swam around his mother as she sat on her rock, telling her stories, and he smiled. "Humans really are amazing, aren't they, Mother?"

Hinawa smiled at Lucas' exuberance. "They are the most wonderful things on this planet, my son. I couldn't wait until I was old enough to swim to the surface."

"I only need to be fifteen, right? Oh, I cannot wait to see the surface. Is it true that there is land that we cannot swim in and only humans walk on? Is it true, Mother?"

"It is true. There are trees and rocks and mountains that you can see on the land, but you cannot walk on it, for you do not have the limbs that humans have, which are called 'legs'."

For a long while after his mother's story, Lucas wished he could have legs and be a human and live forever with an immortal soul. He once confided in his brother and told Claus his dream, but Claus would have none of it.

"You can't be human. There's no point in trying. If we cannot live forever like humans, then let us frolic as long as we can before we turn into foam. That is the best thing we can do, don't you agree?"

Lucas didn't want to believe that he should just give up when he could live with the Creator of the world, but he also didn't want to be mean to his brother and tell him that he was wrong. So he lived and played with his brother until their fifteenth birthday, which they shared on the same day. Claus wanted to celebrate his birthday under the water, but little Lucas pleaded with his brother and asked him to swim to the surface with him. "You will never give up, will you, Lucas? Alright, let us swim to the surface and see if we can spot a sailing ship. And then let us be rid of such fanciful thoughts as gaining a soul as immortal as a human!"

The two were about to shoot for the surface, but they were stopped by their mother, who approached them. "Before you go, my darling children, take these along." Hinawa approached with oysters in tow. She attached them each to the children's tails, and the boys recoiled.

"Mother! You needn't brand us like this! We can find our way home!" Claus said angrily.

Lucas sniffled, but neither mermen nor mermaids could shed tears, no matter how much pain they went through. "It hurts so, Mother."

"You are my precious sons," Hinawa said, hugging her sons close to her, "and I love you both so much. Please wear them and show them with pride that you are my sons."

Claus didn't like it, but he turned to Lucas, who nodded at his brother. "We will wear them. Come, Lucas. Let us see the surface." Lucas smiled brightly and nodded at his brother. Together, holding hands, the two swam furiously to the top in a race to see who could get there first. Claus won, of course, but Lucas was very close behind.

The air was beautiful and the water was like a glassy pearl. They were far enough out that they could only barely see a few bits of land in the distance. Claus found the entire sight very boring, and mentioned so with a frown. "I like the sea better. It is so much better underwater where I can swim. If I could swim in this air like I do in the sea, I would think it much nicer."

But Lucas did not agree with Claus. He thought that the surface was the greatest thing in the world. Humans could not live in the sea, however, and neither could mermaids live in the air and on land. It really was not fair. He saw the little bit of land so far out in the distance, and he yearned for it as if he had lived there his whole life. He was about to move for the land, but Claus grasped his wrist. "I'm bored, Brother. Let's swim to the bottom and meet with Mother and Father again."

But Lucas, for the first time in his life, moved away from Claus, and moved out of his brother's grasp. "I want to see the land, Brother," Lucas said softly, "Do you want to come with me?"

Claus made a face and looked away. "I don't want to. I'm going home. Come with me, Brother." But Lucas did not follow. He looked thoughtful and wanted to see more, and so, without Claus, the young merman swam off towards the land. "Be home for dinner, at least, you human lover!" Claus then blew a raspberry and dove into the water.

Lucas would not make it back for dinner, because he had found a ship as night fell, and trailed it as it moved away from the land. He so wanted to see the humans and watch them move about on deck. Some of them were not pretty, but some were very nice looking. Many of them were men, but he saw that there was a girl on board as well. Girls, like mermaids, were much different from boys and mermen, and Lucas wanted to see her. He swam close to the windows and waited for the waves to push him up so he could see into the windows. His eyes widened when he saw what was inside.

There was a girl, dressed in a short dress and wearing jewelry like his mother's tales of humans. Her hair was fiery red and her eyes were expressively blue, much like the sea. Fire and Water, what a perfect combination! Lucas wished he knew more about her, and so he stayed near the ship and listened to everything that was said.

Her name was Kumatora, a princess of the shore lands that Lucas did not swim to. She did not have long hair like the mermaids back at home did, nor did she wear a long, pretty dress like the girls mother spoke to him about did. Kumatora was different and special. The more Lucas thought about this princess, the faster his heart beat in his chest. Kumatora… Kumatora… Kumatora… the beautiful princess… He was becoming so fond of her, that he couldn't bear to think of anything but her. It was even her birthday; she was sixteen years old. "Only a year older than I!" Lucas told himself as he trembled with delight. Oh, if only he were a human! If only he could win the heart of the beautiful princess! If only he could love her and she him the way humans do and live immortally with the Creator of the world!

Lucas suddenly heard a crack that frightened his tiny self. He looked up and saw that there was a storm brewing. He remembered sometimes there were horrible things that would happen under the water from the swirling winds above in the sky. It was the storm that was making the waves so large and the ship get tossed so mightily! The ship cracked under the pressure, and the masts were snapped as if they were nothing more than reeds. Lucas dove into the water to avoid being crushed by the beams, and looked around in the dark sea. It was so dark that he could hardly see a thing. He had to wait until the lightning struck again and he could see the poor ship sinking into the sea. The little merman gave a horrible cry when he saw Kumatora sinking into the water. He swam to meet her, and he had a great desire to take her home with him. But alas, humans would drown in the sea, and Lucas wanted to make sure that Kumatora never died, he loved her so. When he came upon her, her eyes were closed and Lucas feared for a moment she might already have drowned, but he took her and dragged her up out of the sea, where he slowly brought her to shore.

The sun was beginning to rise over the horizon when Lucas brought Kumatora to shore. He laid her on the land, but before he moved to dart back into the sea where it was safe, he looked once at her soft, sleeping face, and before he knew what he was doing, he kissed her on the forehead. She smelled of the sea, which she had just come out of, and Lucas trembled. Oh, if only she could live with him or he with her! How he loved her already! There was a sound of a twig snapping, and Lucas rushed away suddenly. He hid among the foam when he heard someone approach. A young man, no older than he or Kumatora, came forward and gasped when he saw the princess on the shore. Lucas watched as the young man called for his family, and soon the princess was safe among creatures like her. She awoke and looked up at the child and his family, and smiled at them when they brought further onto land. Lucas was incredibly downhearted and sad that Kumatora would never know he saved her, but he could not shed tears. Slowly, dejectedly, he swam home, crying tearlessly into the clear sea.


	2. Chapter 2

Claus was sad when he saw that Lucas was looking dejected when he came home. He was sorry he said such mean things, because he really didn't mean it at all. However, Lucas didn't pay Claus any mind, even when his twin tried to cheer him up. He only thought about Kumatora, and how beautiful and perfect she was. He thought about her so much that he was afraid his head would burst. Oh, if only he could become immortal! One day, he was so determined to gain an immortal soul like Kumatora and live with her that he swam to his mother and asked how to become like a human.

"There's no way to do so, Lucas. Please don't ask again."

"Don't lie to me, Mother. There must be some way, there must be! Tell me, Mother, tell me."

Hinawa closed her eyes, and Lucas could tell that she was crying tearlessly, just like any mermaid. "The only way to gain an immortal soul is to have a human love you as much as a soul mate, as if you were a human as well. If she were to swear her undying love to you, more than her mother or father, then part of her very human soul will transfer to you and you will obtain a soul and become immortal like the humans. But this cannot happen; as humans do not like fish tails like we have. They think it necessary to have those props called 'legs' to be handsome. Oh, Lucas, I don't want to lose you. Please say you'll never think of leaving us."

Lucas trembled as Hinawa cried, and he looked sorrowfully at his ugly fish tail; he wished he had legs so Kumatora would love him! "Let us not worry, Lucas, let us just be happy and live our lives to the fullest, as much as we can, before we become as sea foam."

Lucas nodded and did not broach the subject with his mother any more. He did not want to tear his family apart, because he loved them as much as a merman could. But he cared for Kumatora so much more that he felt just by loving her, he could gain an immortal soul. No, if he did not continue, he would never live with the Creator of the world and he would never see Kumatora again. He steeled himself with determination, and after dinner with his family, he sneaked away from his home and into the dark sea.

It was deep in the darker sea that the good little mermen never visited, because there was an ugly sorcerer who dwelt where neither flowers nor grass grew. It was nothing but bare, gray, sandy ground. Lucas had to swim through a whirlpool, over bubbling mire, and past half animal, half plant Polypi to get to the home of the sorcerer. There were many times that he felt such fear that he felt he could go no further, but it was always the thought of his dear Kumatora that he continued even through the Polypi fields. They tried to catch him and grab him, but he was able to dart through by crushing his hands against his chest and zooming as fast as a fish might dart through water. He saw such horrible things as he went through. The Polypi had clutched in their arms oars, rudders, skeletons of humans and animals, and even the body of a tiny mermaid who was caught, strangled and snapped apart; that was the most shocking sight Lucas had ever seen.

Eventually Lucas came to a horrible house that was built with the bones of shipwrecked human beings. The little merman gulped, scared for his life, but even that did not deter him from entering. Lucas swam into the home, where he found the ugly sorcerer, who was sitting on his throne, feeding a toad the way a person feeds a canary with a piece of sugar. He had ugly water snakes that swam around him like livestock. Lucas didn't even need to clear his throat before Porky chuckled and turned to the merman.

"I know what you desire," he said with a devilish smirk, "it was stupid of you to come here, but you shall have your wish, and it will bring you the worst sorrow you can imagine. You desire to get rid of your fish tail, and have two legs instead, so that the princess Kumatora will fall in love with you and you may gain an immortal soul."

Lucas gulped and nodded slowly, and Porky laughed loudly and disgustingly. So terrible was the laugh that the toad and snakes dropped to the floor and wriggled about in terror. "You are just in time then. My draught is nearly complete; it is only missing one ingredient. You will take the completed draught on land, where you will drink it. Your tail will disappear and shrink up into man legs, and the pain you shall feel will be unbearable, as if a sword had sliced straight through you. People will compliment you, for you will still have the same floating gracefulness on land, and your speed will be next to none, but every step you take will be like stepping on sharp knives until blood flows. Do you think you can bear this, child? If so, I can help you."

It took all of Lucas's love and desire for Princess Kumatora to nod slowly once again. "Yes… yes, I can bear it. Please, help me."

Porky frowned and barked at the boy. "This is not something you can decide so quickly for, child! When your shape becomes like a human, you may never return to the water or your family. And… there is one more thing. If you do not win the love of fair Kumatora, you will never gain the immortal soul, and your heart will break in two from sadness." Lucas remembered what his mother had told him about humans: they felt emotions so much stronger than mermaids. He didn't realize until now that humans could die from sadness! Even though he was not a human, Porky would make him feel the emotions of a human, as a way to kill him if he could not complete his task. "If you cannot get Princess Kumatora to allow a priest to join your hands that you may be man and wife, you will die and become seafoam the first morning after she marries another."

Lucas had become pale as death, but with a trembling, high voice, he nodded and said, "I… I will do it."

"Well then, the last ingredient I need for the draught is…" Porky smiled so horribly that Lucas felt his stomach turn in knots. "…a mermaid's tongue."

Lucas clamped his hands over his mouth with a strangled cry. How would he be able to talk to Kumatora if he gave up his tongue and could not speak? How would he be able to tell her that he was the one who saved her? How could he tell her that he loved her more than the stars and the world and the universe? "But if you take my tongue, how can I…?"

"All of these years of swimming has given you a beautiful form to these humans. You will have a graceful, powerful stride, and your eyes are expressive. All of these things can enchain a woman's heart, even a princess's. So. Have we got a deal? Give me your tongue as payment, and you shall have the powerful draught."

"All right. It shall be as you say," said the little merman.

Then Porky brought Lucas to the cauldron that held the unfinished draught. It was boiling maliciously, and it sounded like the weeping of a crocodile. Then, Porky grasped Lucas and cut off the young merman's tongue, so that he was dumb and could not speak again. When Porky threw the tongue into the cauldron, it bubbled furiously, and the sorcerer took the draught and gave it to Lucas. "Now leave. I will not see you again."

And Lucas fled with the potion in hand.

He swam through the wood and the marsh and between the whirlpools, back to his home, where his family slept. He did not venture in to say goodbye, for he was dumb and going to leave forever, and he felt that looking upon his mother's face would break his heart. He took a flower from the garden and placed it near his brother's bed, and kissed his hand towards his house, and then he rose up to the surface and headed towards land. He came into the sight of the princess's palace, which was built right next to the shore of the ocean, and he crawled up onto the beautiful marble steps. He then took the draught and drank it, and it seemed as if a two-edged sword ran through his body. So terrible was the pain that Lucas could not focus, and he swooned, laying like one who was dead…

* * *

><p>A nice little thing in the Disney Version was the Polypi that were the creatures that Ursula transformed when they failed their test. In Mr. Anderson's version they were just hanging, because why not?<p>

Another thing was that I was certain I remembered reading at one point that the Witch had gotten her powers from a higher source (AKA the Devil), so at first the sorcerer was going to be Fassad, who obtained his power from Porky, but after reading through many translations and original texts, there was no mention of the Devil or an external source. Therefore Fassad was cut and Porky was put in instead. It makes sense though, as the original Witch possesses every aspect of the Devilish figure that many people believed in back then, especially that "deal with the devil" aspect.

Either way I thought it was interesting.


	3. Chapter 3

Hey there! I am always forgetting to upload stuff. I apologize!

Here it is then.

* * *

><p>When the sun rose and shone over the sea, Lucas recovered and felt a sharp pain. However, he did not notice the pain as much as he did the beautiful princess Kumatora, who had awoken him, worried for his health. "Are you alright…?" she asked Lucas, fixing her bright blue eyes on him so earnestly that he tentatively looked down as well. He was so amazed; he had a perfectly sculpted pair of white legs and small feet with ten wiggling toes. His tail was gone, but he was also without clothes. He felt sudden shame and covered himself with his hands, his face bright red.<p>

Kumatora laughed aloud. "You survived a shipwreck, and that's all you're worried about?" she asked with a crow. Lucas blushed even more as she laughed at him. "Where are you from? What's your name? Do you live near here?"

Lucas wanted so much to be able to answer her questions, but when he opened his mouth, only a gurgle came out, and Kumatora gasped at the horrid sight. "You poor thing! What sort of monster would do that to a young man like you? Come, I'll take you to the castle, and you can have a place at the palace until you can find your way home." Kumatora helped the young merman up, and Lucas felt the pain that the evil sorcerer had told him about. Every time he took a step, it was as if he was treading on knives harsh enough to cut to the bone; however, Lucas bore it willingly to be with Kumatora, and he walked gracefully at the princess's side. All who saw the boy at her side were amazed at his movements, gliding across the floor as if he were a soap-bubble in the air.

Eventually, at the castle, he was soon arrayed in costly suits of silk and muslin, and he was the most dashing creature in the palace, but he was dumb and could neither speak nor sing. There was a ball to celebrate Lucas' arrival, and he learned that Kumatora loved to sing bawdy songs with the guards in the palace. Lucas was mortified; he sang with his own family, and he would have loved to sing alongside the beautiful princess! "Oh, if only she knew of my singing voice before I had given my voice away to be with her!" he said to himself, "Now Kumatora will never notice me…!"

However, after the singing, Kumatora watched as the guard and maidservants danced amongst each other, and she laughed at their antics and clapped her hands. Lucas summoned up his courage and walked up to the princess as she watched the others. The young man took her hand and twirled her into his arms, and the guards gasped. Lucas swept the princess across the dance stage, and Kumatora laughed louder than she had in years. "I feel like I'm flying!" she proclaimed loudly. The guards smiled and clapped their hands for Lucas and Kumatora as the dance ended, and everyone agreed that Lucas was the greatest dancer of them all. Even though it felt like he was walking on sharp knives with every step, he danced for hours to keep Kumatora happy. "I'm so happy you didn't die in that shipwreck," Kumatora told Lucas when the dance was over, "I would have missed meeting the most wonderful of dancers, my foundling."

Kumatora delighted in his company so much that Lucas was given permission to sleep at her door despite not being of noble birth, and he was given a velvet cushion to sleep on that was very restful. On other days, Lucas would wear a noble's suit and ride with Kumatora on horseback through sweet-scented woods, where birds sang amongst the trees. Kumatora took him everywhere, even up to the tops of high mountains, and even though Lucas felt that his feet would burst from the pain, he only laughed while he remained with her, so great was his love.

On such nights when the pain was unbearable and all were asleep, Lucas would sneak down to the steps where Kumatora found him, and he would dip his burning feet into the cold water, for it eased the feet to be in the sea where he once lived, and he thought of his family below in the deep. One such night, Lucas' brother came up out of the water, searching for his brother. Finally, Claus found his brother, and he reached out to him. "Lucas! Lucas, please come home! Mother and Father miss you so much, and I can't bear to be without you any longer! Lucas, please!" But Lucas could no longer live in the sea, and he shook his head. Then he saw in the distance his mother and father, who held each other and looked mournfully at their son. They stretched their hands towards Lucas, but they dared go no further. Lucas and his family cried the entire night, mourning the fact that they would never live together under the water. Finally, when daylight began to come, Claus swam forward and hugged his brother one last time, and dove into the sea. Lucas sobbed deeply until the princess awoke that morning, and he went to meet her; he smiled at her, for he loved her so much that he could never be sad around her, and they went together on one of their morning rides.

One day, while Lucas and Kumatora were riding in the woods, they found a traveler who had gotten hurt, and his leg twisted sharply where he had broken it. "Please, help me," the man begged. Lucas saw that Kumatora wanted to help the traveler, so the young merman got off of his horse and gave it to the traveler, whose name was Duster. "Thank you, my friends. I would surely have perished if it weren't for you."

"Let's bring him home, Lucas, and we will nurse him to health," Kumatora said, and Lucas agreed. Together, the princess and her guardian cared for Duster and his leg healed, but it would always be crooked. Kumatora smiled at the thought. "My good friends are the ones who are in pain. I wish I could get rid of all of your worries."

But Duster shook his head. "Princess, you have removed all of my worries," he said solemnly, and Lucas was mortified when he saw Kumatora smile at the traveler the way she smiled at her guardian. He was very happy to see Duster leave the castle after his leg healed, but he was still worried because Kumatora looked at Duster differently than anyone else, and he hugged her tight in fear.

"Do you not love me best of all?" Lucas' eyes seemed to ask Kumatora when he looked up at her. The princess laughed and kissed him on his forehead.

"Of course I do, my foundling," the princess said, "You are so dear to me, for you are always with me and very devoted. You are very much like Duster, and it is true that I loved him like I do you, but he is gone to his home now, and still you remain at my side. You remain dearest to me, for you wish to stay with me, so we will never part." And Lucas was very happy and hugged Kumatora close to him. He was happy that Duster would never see Kumatora again; he would care for her and remain by her side for the rest of his life, and she would love him and marry him instead of the mysterious traveler.

As the days passed, Lucas fell deeper and deeper in love, and Kumatora loved her foundling as one would love a little brother, but it had never come to her mind to marry the boy. Yet, Lucas knew, unless she married him, Lucas would not receive an immortal soul and would dissolve into sea foam the moment she married another.

* * *

><p>The original Duster character was a nun from the nunnery that overlooked the ocean. In the original version, it was the nun that found the prince who had been brought ashore, and the prince had fallen in love with her because he thought that the nun had rescued him. Of course, men can't marry nuns, and that is why he remains at the Little Mermaid's side. Just something to ponder for a bit I suppose.<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

And I was way late and I am a fool, so here is the ending of the Little Merman so I can feel better about actually finishing something. Thanks for reading after all this time, everyone!

* * *

><p>Soon afterwards, it was said amongst the people that Kumatora must marry, and that the young son of a neighboring king would be the princess' husband. A fine ship was being fitted to bring Kumatora to the kingdom. The princess promised to meet the king and his son, but Lucas smiled and shook his head. He knew Kumatora's thoughts more than anyone.<p>

"I am sorry, foundling, if this pains you," Kumatora said as they sat together in the gardens, "I have to travel to see this prince, for my people hope it will bring a match, but I will not let them force me into marriage. I cannot love that prince, for he is not like you, nor is he like Duster, that traveler we nursed together. Is it not funny? If I were forced to choose right now, whom I would marry, I would rather choose you, my dumb foundling, with your bright, expressive eyes."

Lucas nodded and hugged her tight, and he looked into Kumatora's face. She smiled at him, and she kissed his rosy lips gently, and Lucas smiled so wide he wondered if his face would break, and he laid his head against her heart and dreamed of an immortal soul.

* * *

><p>Lucas promised that he would be with Kumatora forever, so he stood with her when the ship sailed across the sea to the neighboring kingdom, and Kumatora laughed as her other guardians hid under the deck. "You are not afraid of the sea, foundling. I like the sea too." And Lucas nodded and stood with her as they looked off into the distance and saw the country of the neighboring king. As they waited, Kumatora told Lucas of the strange fish in the deep, and what the divers had seen there. Lucas smiled at the princess' descriptions, for he knew better than anyone what wonders were at the bottom of the sea.<p>

On the way across the ocean, when all on board were asleep except the man at the helm, Lucas sat on the deck and gazed down through the clear water. For just a moment he thought he could see his family's cottage under the water, and near it his beloved mother, preparing the shells for the day, gazing longingly at the ship and wringing her beautiful white hands in worry. He then saw Claus pop up out of the water and glare at him sadly, as if getting angry with his twin would get him to come back. Lucas beckoned for his twin and begged him to see how happy and well off his brother was, but at that moment the cabin-boy Fuel approached. "What are you doing out so late, Master? You should be in bed."

Lucas nodded at Fuel and turned back to the water. Claus had already dropped under the water, and Fuel thought it was only the foam of the sea that he saw. Lucas stood and walked with Fuel back to go to sleep, so he could be well rested when they weighed anchor tomorrow.

The next morning the ship sailed into the harbor of a beautiful town that belonged to a grumpy king and his son, the prince. Lucas watched the church bells ring as he and Kumatora passed through the streets, and from the high towers there sounded a flourish of trumpets. The king's soldiers waved flying colors and glittering bayonets as they led the princess and her entourage through the town. Lucas wondered if they were always this happy and jovial, instead of just being happy that Kumatora was visiting them. The young man remained happy, however, for the prince had not yet appeared. "Where could he be?" Kumatora asked herself out loud, "How rude to keep a suitor waiting by giving her parties instead of himself!"

"Please forgive the prince, your majesty," a soldier said, "His father calls him a rapscallion and a fool. He is always running away from the castle to go on adventures. There was even one day, a long while ago, when he returned with a lame leg. He even refused to tell his father how he got it!"

Kumatora was surprised, and Lucas mortified. Oh, it couldn't be, could it? He pushed forward as they arrived at the castle, and he anxiously watched as the king, whose name was Wes, stepped from the castle with his son, Prince Duster, at his side.

Oh no! The young traveler that Kumatora and Lucas had nursed was in reality the prince that she was to marry! Kumatora stepped forward to take Duster's hands, and Lucas let out a strangled cry.

"Princess Kumatora, forgive me," Duster said, "I did not mean to deceive you, but Father had wanted me to marry you far before our first meeting. I could not bear the thought of marrying a woman I did not know, so I fled the castle and arrived on your doorstep. The break in my leg was not false, however. You nursed me to health and I could walk again, even if it will never be straight. Princess Kumatora, I was so happy to see that you and your retainer are kind and generous, and I would be the happiest man alive if you would only be my wife."

Kumatora nodded at the prince. "It was you," said the princess, "Who stayed with me and sang for me when my foundling could not." She reached up and enfolded her handsome groom-to-be in her arms and pressed close to him with a smile. "I too would be happy, if you would be my husband." She then pulled away and turned to the little merman. "Foundling, is it not wonderful? My fondest dreams are fulfilled. Duster is to remain with us and things can be as they were all that time so long ago! Come, rejoice with me, my foundling, for your devotion to my cause is great and sincere."

Lucas smiled brightly and kissed Kumatora's hand, but he felt his heart shattering into a million pieces already, and he was unsure if he could survive even past the wedding night that was given to him, and he would die and become a wisp of foam in the sea.

All of the church bells rung and the heralds rode throughout the town proclaiming the betrothal. Perfumed oil was burning in costly silver lamps on every altar. The priests waved their censers, while the bride and bridegroom joined their hands and received the blessing of the bishop. Lucas was dressed in silk and gold, and he stood by as Duster's best man (for indeed, Duster said, there could be no other to stand by his side), but Lucas heard nothing of the festive music, and his eyes saw nothing of the holy ceremony, for he was thinking only of the night of death which was coming to him, and he mourned for all that he had lost in the world.

On that very same evening Duster and Kumatora as bridegroom and bride went on board the ship; cannons were roaring, flags were waving, and in the center of the ship there was a costly tent of purple and gold that had been erected. It contained elegant couches for the reception of the bridal pair during the night. The ship, with swelling sails and a favorable wind, glided away smoothly across the calm sea, its next destination was Kumatora's beautiful kingdom, where she and her husband Duster would remain to the end of their days.

* * *

><p>When it grew dark, a number of colored lamps were lit, and the sailors danced merrily on the deck, for their princess was married and the kingdom was stable once again. The festivities were such that Lucas could not help but think of his first time rising from the sea and seeing Kumatora for the first time. He joined in the dance, poising himself in the air as a swallow pursuing his prey, and all present were filled with awe and wonder at his grace. He had never danced so elegantly before. His feet felt as if they were cut with knives, but he cared little for the pain, for a sharper pain had pierced his heart. He knew that this was the last evening he would ever see his beloved Kumatora, for whom he had forsaken his kind, his family, and his home. He had given up his wonderful voice, and suffered unheard-of pain daily for his Kumatora, and she knew nothing of it.<p>

This was the last evening that Lucas would breathe the same air as his beloved, or gaze into the starry sky and deep sea. He would be thrust into eternal night without a thought or a dream, as he had no soul, nor would he ever win one now. All was joy and happiness onboard the ship till long after midnight, and Lucas laughed and danced with the others while thoughts of death plagued his heart. He watched as Kumatora kissed her handsome husband, and Duster played with her fiery red hair, until they went arm-in-arm to rest and lie together in the splendid tent.

The ship then became very still, with only the helmsman awake at the helm. Lucas leaned against the edge of the vessel and looked towards the east to see the first blush of morning, for the first ray of dawn would bring his death. He then saw his brother rising out of the water, and he smiled and reached for Claus, but he gasped when he saw what had happened. He was as pale and graceful as Lucas still was, but his left eye had been gouged from its socket, and in his hands was a fang from a fearsome sea beast that was carved into a dagger.

"Here, Lucas," Claus said quietly, handing the fang to his twin. "I have given my eye to the sorcerer for this enchanted sea beast's fang so that you may not die tonight. He gave it to me and said 'See here, it is very sharp. Before the sun rises your brother must plunge it into the heart of dear, sweet Princess Kumatora and her husband Prince Duster, and when the warm blood falls upon his feet they will grow together again into a fin, and he will once more be a merman, and will be able to live out his three hundred years of life with you, his only brother. Hasten unto him; he or you will die before sunrise'. Mother weeps and moans for you, and Father's hair is falling off from sorrow. Kill that wicked princess and come back to us, Lucas, and hasten. Do you not see the first red streaks in the sky? The sun will rise in a few minutes and you will die." He then sighed deeply and sank into the waves.

Lucas nodded, went to the bridal tent, and pulled back the crimson curtain, and behold, the fair bride was there, resting her head on her husband's breast. The little merman bent down and kissed Kumatora's fair brow, and then he looked to the sky with the rosy dawn that grew brighter and brighter. He looked down at the sharp knife and fixed his eyes on Kumatora, who whispered Duster's name in her sleep. Lucas could feel the love that Kumatora had for her beloved Duster, and even now she thought of him, and the knife trembled in the hand of the little merman.

Lucas drew the blade up and threw it with all of his might into the ocean, and he heard Claus scream in mournful agony beneath the waves. The water turned red where it fell and the drops that came up around the frothing knife looked like blood. He cast one more lingering, half-fainting glance at his Kumatora, and he rushed to the banister and threw himself from the ship into the sea, and he felt as if his body was dissolving away into foam.

The sun rose above the waves, and its warm rays fell upon the cold foam of the little merman, who suddenly did not feel as if he were dying. He could see the bright sun, and all around him floated the most transparent, beautiful, and graceful creatures. He could see through the white sails of the ship and the red clouds in the sky. The creatures' voices were melodious but too ethereal to be heard by mortal ears, as they were also unseen by mortal eyes. Upon looking about, Lucas realized that he had a body like theirs and that he could continue to rise higher and higher out of the foam. "Where am I?" asked he, and his voice sounded ethereal, as the voice of those who were with him. He could see that even when he could sing as a merman, he would never have been able to imitate it.

"We are the children of the air, the Magypsies," answered one of them with a giggle, "You know that a merman has not an immortal soul, nor can he obtain one unless he wins the love of a human being. Thus on the power of another hangs his eternal destiny. But the Magypsies are different. They do not possess an immortal soul but can, by their deeds, procure one for themselves. We fly to warm countries, and cool the sultry air that destroys mankind with its pestilence. We carry the perfume of the flowers to spread health and restoration, and after we have striven for three hundred years to do all the good in our power, we receive an immortal soul and take part in the happiness of mankind."

"Is this true?" Lucas asked, unbelief written on his face, "Can a Magypsy really do such a wondrous thing?"

"Aye, this is true," another one answered, "You, poor little merman, have tried with your whole heart to do as we are doing; you have suffered and endured and raised yourself to the spirit-world by your good deeds, and now, by striving for three hundred years in the same way, you may obtain an immortal soul."

Lucas lifted his glorified eyes towards the sun, and felt them, for the first time, filling with tears. On the ship, where he had left Kumatora and Duster, there was life and noise; he saw Kumatora and her beloved Duster searching for Lucas. He saw them gaze sorrowfully at the pearly foam, as if they knew he had thrown himself into the waves, and Kumatora wept for her lost foundling. Unseen by the prince and princess, Lucas drew downwards and kissed Kumatora's forehead and fanned Duster's face, and he flew up and mounted the wind with the other Magypsies onto a rosy cloud that floated through the aether.

"After three hundred years, thus shall we float into the kingdom of heaven," Lucas heard from the first of the Magypsies, "We may even get there sooner, for we enter unseen into the houses of man, and where there are children, if we find a good child, who is the joy of his parents and deserves their love, our joy is such that the time of our probation is shortened. The child will never know when we fly through the room to behold his good conduct, but from our joy we will count one less year from our probation."

"But woe to the child who is naughty or wicked!" said the second Magypsy, as all of the children of the air wafted through the sky, "That when we see a naughty or a wicked child, we shed tears of sorrow, and for every tear a day is added to our time of trial!"

And so Lucas flew off into the sky with his good friends and is even now working hard to obtain his immortal soul. So remember, child, when you feel unhappy or angry, to be nice and remember your manners, for you never know when Lucas will grace you with a breeze of air to cool you and see your conduct and lose years of his probation!

* * *

><p>I am very sorry to those who felt that this was going to be similar to the Disney Mermaid, who got her loved one and had a happy ending. In Mr. Anderson's stories, however, not everything turns out splendidly, but some things are meant to teach. Not everything turns out the way you expect, but to do your best and push past it, you will find that things turn out much better than you thought. The Little Merman may not have married his beloved, but he found that loving her, even after her marriage, created a wonderful life for him to live in, where he can move past the pain and become better for it.<p>

It may not have been the ending we would want for Lucas, but it is one that is far more realistic and still happy than most stories we see nowadays. It's something for us to think on, I bet.


End file.
